Bison Busted. North Dakota State's 33 Game Winning Streak Ended By Northern Iowa 23-3

The law of averages finally caught up to the North Dakota State Bison.

NDSU's Football Championship Subdivision record 33 game winning streak died today at Northern Iowa as the Panthers defeated the Bison 23-3.




North Dakota State couldn't anything going in the UNI Dome.  The Bison totaled only 175 yards of total offense and held to their lowest point total since a 3-0 loss to Missouri State in the 2010 season finale.

Northern Iowa was led by running back David Johnson who rushed for 133 yards on 28 carries.

"This is really sweet," Johnson said.

Johnson will go do as one of the best running backs in UNI history.  During the game he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the third consecutive season becoming the first Panther back to do that.

Panther kicker Michael Schmadeke kicked three field goals of 43, 36 and 42 yards.

Northern Iowa head coach Mark Farley thanked the Panther fans.

This Didn't Go Over Well: Iowa Sportscaster Slams NDSU Before Iowa State Game

((HT: WHO-TV/96.5TheFox))

If anyone understands the value of the face and heel relationship, it's the HQ...

So, Week 1 is always reserved for the paycheck games mostly... and a lot of folks in the midwest stared at North Dakota State visiting Iowa State as one of those games that was supposed to be chance for the Clones to get the duke. NDSU lost their head coach Craig Bohl to Division I- even as one of the powerhouse schools in I-AA they still had a lot of losses to graduation.

And this came across the airwaves in Des Moines, courtesy of Andy Fales and WHO-TV
Fales wasn't a fan of this game being played period.


A lot of good that did as NDSU pounded Iowa State by 20.

The HQ gives Fales credit for fanning the flames and waving the flag for the home team- even if he was way off...

Saul Phillips Personifies What This Tourney Is All About...

((HT: NDSU Athletics))

Some of us had North Dakota State in our picks for the early part of the tournament...

A lot of you did not...

But it's "teams" that do well early on if they get the chance to hang around against higher seeds, and the Bison did that beating Oklahoma.

Along with teams like Mercer, Dayton, and Stephen F. Austin, it has reminded us what makes this month one of the best 30-day stretches in the calendar year (see Brother Phil's ode hyah to reinforce the theory)

But, no, the Bison didn't make it past their match-up with San Diego State to go further. But we will remember the Basketball Bison for a lot of reasons- head coach Saul Phillips' exultation after the first win is only a part of it. It's his remembrance i=of this first weekend that's a big part of it...

Here's his presser... and the moment the HQ is talking about is just short of the 11-minute mark...

Bison And Flyers Help Thursday Be Thursday

((HT: ValleyNewsLive))

Just so you see what it as like in these two towns after the fact...

Here's the late live shot from Fargo/Spokane
Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

And Dayton
((HT: WDTN-TV))


So let Friday be Friday...

How About Another 5-12 Upset...??? NDSU Wins For Fargo...

((HT: NCAA March Madness/Snappy TV))

An absolutely electric shooting performance in the first three-quarters of the game kept Summit League champ North Dakota State at bay against Oklahoma. But the Sooners came back and took the lead before NDSU scored on a three late in regulation from Lawrence Alexander...

That meant only one thing involving the best shooting team in the country...

The third overtime game on the opening day of the tournament...

Freshman Carlin Dupree was the key in overtime for NDSU and it was good enough for the team's first win ever in the tournament, 80-75. NDSU shot almost 53-percent from the field for the game. Oklahoma shot 35-percent including 12-for-30 from three point range.

Here's the ending...


Which allowed for celebrating in the Bison locker room...
((HT: NCAA Courtside))

North Dakota St Highlight Video: All Videos Are Better with Morgan Freeman

((ht: footballscoop.com))

We're pretty sure there's no such thing as a bad football video narrated by Morgan Freeman.

The question is this: How did North Dakota State get him to do their's? (we know--money)

Check out this mega-cool, really well produced season highlight reel for the Top Ranked FCS (1-AA) team in all the land…North Dakota State.

The Bison have won 18 games in a row and titles each of the previous two seasons.

CFB Shocker: North Dakota State Upsets Kansas State On An 80 Yard Drive

I wonder if Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder will play a game on Friday night again.

It was a big night on the K-State campus.  It was the Wildcats season opener and newly renovated Bill Snyder Family Stadium was unveiled.

However North Dakota State didn't stick to script.

Bison quarterback Brock Jensen led North Dakota State on a game defining 80 yard drive capped off by his one yard touchdown run.




That sealed a stunning 24-21 win for North Dakota State over Kansas State ruining a big night in Manhattan, Kansas.

“We had to score a touchdown." Jensen said. "It was a scenario that we have practiced frequently - every week in practice. It was just one of those moments where we just had to gut it out. It was not easy by any stretch - we were tired and they were tired - but we found a way to just gut it out. That was the guttiest performance that I have seen in my entire life on any level. I am so proud of my team and I just thank God for letting me be a part of this.”

“I would like to congratulate all of our players."  North Dakota head coach Craig Bohl said. "It was a great effort on their part showing determination and resolve when we were down. Many, many teams have come in and Kansas State has jumped up and those teams have folded; our guys did not do that. I thought our assistant coaches made some really excellent adjustments there when we needed to - certainly the fourth down play was huge in the game for us to get that and it was a great win for our program."




Friday nights loss to North Dakota State was the first time a Bill Snyder coached team had lost a season
opener since 1989.

"They are an extremely fine football team." Snyder said.  "They play very hard, and they are a tough football team. They played harder than we did. They were tougher than we were. They were better coached than we were."

Something tells me practice won't be fun for K-State next week.  Louisiana-Lafayette comes to the Little Apple next Saturday.

OSG D2 and OSG D3: Small Schools, Big Numbers

As always, in Division II and Division III, there are a lot of games between schools that have no business playing football- except that there is a reason to play football on campus...

The whole "revenue" thing... regardless of how bad you may be on the field...

Here are some examples...

Humboldt State 57 Dixie State 18
Macalester 59 Trinity (IL) 0
Whitworth 70 Puget Sound 11
Linfield 63 Lewis & Clark 0
Cal Lutheran 56 Occidental 7

But this next one is a bit of a surprise...

The HQ has known about Pittsburg State (KS) with all of their championship title efforts in Division II. But they were handed their worst home loss in 98 years with a 63-14 loss at the hands of Missouri Western State- #16 defeats #7

Here's the wrap from MWSU their own selves...


Winston-Salem State 58 Livingstone 0
Norwich 56 Husson 0
Mount Union 51 Otterbein 0
Missouri S&T 64 Quincy 6
Delaware Valley 70 Misericordia 0
Merrimack 81 St. Anselm 35

And, finally, North Dakota State had no problems with South Dakota 54-0
Here are those rebound highlights for the Bison from ValleyNewsLive
Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

'Tis The Election Season: NDSU Players Guilty Of Fraud

((HT: Valleynewslive.com))

North Dakota State's Bison are the top-ranked team in Division I-AA and they now have a lot of players who, until they complete their community service and probation periods, are in a lot of deep doo-doo.

Ten North Dakota State University football players pleaded guilty to misdemeanor election (petition) fraud and were sentenced to community service for faking signatures. Three former players and two other individuals were also charged in the case.

Here's the technical stuff:

The players all were charged with one count of "violating election law" by adding thousands of names to petitions trying to get votes on the November ballot for legalizing marijuana and establishing an outdoor heritage fund.

The charge is a "Class A" misdemeanor.

The players were told by the company that hired them that they would only get paid a certain amount of money if they made their daily signature quota. The names on the petition were, apparently, either made up or copied out of the phone book. One news report even had the name "Hillary Rodham" on the petition and listed Rodham's address as the White House...

Yeah, that won't bring up any questions or anything...

Here's how Fargo is covering the story...
Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

Three Bison players have previous misdemeanors and they were the sticking point for sentencing, but the state has agreed that all community service has to be completed by mid-April...

Or else...

TWTW: Big Numbers From Bison, Blazers, Nicholls, and Nebraska

((HT: Valleynewslive.com))

Here's where we wrap up all the big numbers on the scoreboard from the week that was... Prairie View A&M travelled all the way to the Fargodome for a paycheck.

They end their non-conference stretch with their worst start since 2002- when it was 0-6- with a 66-7 loss to North Dakota State. It was NDSU's highest offensive numbers since defeating Division II Concordia-St. Paul 66-7 in the 2006 season opener.

The Bison have been ranked No. 1 in the Division I-AA/FCS Coaches Top 25 the first three weeks of the season. Not that polls mean a whole lot right now, but bully for them...

Here's the Bison's blowout... Page Title - No value

In the NAIA, Belhaven University set school records in a 70-28 win over Campbellsville in Jackson, Mississippi. Points in a game, TD's, and PAT's now have new marks on campus as the Blazers get ready for Mid-South Conference competition.
((HT: WJTV, Jackson))

Watch this at WJTV

Nicholls State had another week to remind themselves that Southland Conference action is a while from being in Thibodaux, Louisiana. So, the Colonels scheduled Evangel College and won 73-17.

Here's some postgame from Head Coach Charlie Stubbs...

Nebraska scheduled Idaho State as another pre-season warm-up at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln... and when you win 73-7 (as the easiest game in a lot of pools for who would score the most and least points this weekend), there isn't a whole lot to talk about...

So, we'll just show you the short version...
 ((HT: ESPN))

 Let us know if we missed anybody...

TWTW: The Upsets Round One- Arizona, UCLA, Sacramento State, North Dakota State

((HT: newsok.com))

By the oklahoma State coaching staff's own admission, it was a poor night of everything- too many penalties (school record) and four turnovers for starters...

And very few people would have thought the 'Pokes would have given up 59 points to Rich Rod...

Berry Tramel and Gina Mizell discuss...
UCLA made its point to be inside the Top 15 (really) under new head coach Jim Mora with their back-and-forth game that ended up in the upset of Nebraska... Gus and Charles Davis discuss... ((HT: Fox Sports)) And, there's a battle in the state of Colorado to determine which team is the worst in the state- Colorado or Colorado State... The Rams did their part in contributing in their 22-7 loss to I-AA North Dakota State... ((HT: valleynewslive.com)) Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks Colorado State coaches and players, naturally, were less than pleased... ((HT: ColoradoStateUniversity)) The Buffaloes ended up losing to Sacramento State on a last-minute field goal... CU head coach Jon Embree is either way out of his league coaching this team or isn't being given the tools to make it happen the way he wants... The HQ is thinking it's somewhere in the middle... ((HT: BuffStampedeDotCom))

Whoops!!! NCAA Sends North Dakota State's Championship Banner To U. Of North Dakota, Fighting Sioux Still Retiring Nickname Anyway...

Somebody at the NCAA really screwed up.

The NCAA send a package that included North Dakota State’s FCS Championship Banner and a letter only it was delivered to the University of North Dakota.

The package was addressed to Mr. Brian Faison, Athletics Director, North Dakota State University, Hyslop Sports Center, Grand Forks, N.D.

The University of North Dakota is located in Grand Forks, N.D.  North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, N.D.

Brian Faison is the athletic director at UND not NDSU.  Gene Taylor is the athletic director at NDSU.

Somebody at the NCAA has some explaining to do.

Faison and the athletic department have had other matters to address.  Tuesday North Dakota citizens voted to dump the “Fighting Sioux” nickname.  The NCAA had deemed that nickname “hostile and abusive” to Native Americans.

Now the NCAA sends a championship banner intended for their in-state rival.

“I’m sure they don’t mess up Alabama and Auburn or Arizona/Arizona State.” North Dakota State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a telephone interview with WDAY in Fargo, N.D.  “We just need to have them to get it figured out that we are two different schools.”

Of course the NCAA does not have banners for the BCS national championship saving them the embarrassment of sending Alabama’s national title banner to Auburn.  Wouldn’t that create a stir.

Elsewhere on campus, the state voters have taken care of the idea of the Fighting Sioux nickname once and for all...

The referendum, known as "Measure Four", assures now that one of the best nicknames in the business is out the door. The NCAA had considered the "Fighting Sioux" moniker to be "threatening" and made a point to tell UND that they would lose all host and playoff privileges if they kept it.

Now, they're not... again...
For real...
((HT: Valleynewslive.com/KXJB-TV Fargo))


The larger question now will be around the Engelstadt family trust that marks the hockey arena on campus. It was long rumored that if the "Fighting Sioux" name was removed, all trust funding would disappear from campus and athletics.

Interesting... get your deals now...

OSG I-AA: It's Bearkats And Bison In Frisco

((HT: KFBB-TV Helena))

When you can't stop the Sam Houston State running game, you're in trouble...
And the Montana Grizzlies were in trouble Friday night in Texas...

Here's the long version as to how...


The other semi had too many turnovers for Georgia Southern's liking as they traveled to North Dakota State and lost 35-7...

It was the biggest game in the history of the program...
And we post these highlights much to the dismay of Brother Phil...
((HT: Valleynewslive.com/Fargo))


Now, all they have to do is find their way to Frisco, Texas (wherever in the blue hell that is) by JANUARY 7th...???

Good for y'all...

OSG I-AA: Another Round Down- Ga Southern, Busy Day In Montana, North Dakota

The HQ can say we covered Georgia Southern QB Jaybo Shaw in his high school days along with freshman running back Dominique Swope...

Both went off yesterday against fellow OSG HQ'er Old Dominion freshman QB Taylor Heinecke in a 55-48 win in Statesboro. It was the first 200-plus yard effort for an Eagles RB since 2007... 255 to be exact...

Here's how WAVY-TV in Hampton Roads treated Heinecke's homecoming...

Heinicke's homecoming: wavy.com

It was a busy and successful day for Montana schools as the Griz worked over Central Arkansas and Montana State needed some long arms to advance against UNH.
((HT: KFBB-TV Helena))


Rough day for the Colonial teams as James Madison had to go north to take on the Bison, but lost 26-14...
((HT: Valleynewslive.com Fargo))


The quarterfinals have Maine going to Georgia Southern and Lehigh going to ND State on the right-hand side. The left-hand side has Northern Iowa going to Montana and Sam Houston State hosting Montana State.

TWTW: Long Day For Golden Gophers- On And Off The Field

((HT: KARE-TV))

First and foremost, the HQ will keep head coach Jerry Kill in its collective thoughts as he re-admits himself to the Mayo Clinic to continually monitor his body after the latest round of seizures he had a few weeks ago.

He has had multiple episodes since...

"The seizures continue to be a concern for me and my family," Kill said in a released statement. "Rebecca and I have made the decision to do what it takes to find a solution. I hope to be back to work soon, but we believe that taking some time away to get a handle on this is the right thing to do."

According to Gopher football team physician Dr. Pat Smith, Kill suffered another seizure Sunday morning.

Smith said that Kill is in good condition and his vitals are good...

On the field, two defensive TD's by hometowner Marcus Williams led to a 37-24 win over the Gophers by North Dakota State. It's not the first time in recent memory that the home team lost to a Division I-AA FCS school...

But it still doesn't look good... and, apparently, close to 20,000 Bison fans made the trip... Dave Berggren tells the story...